Four of the five young men who died after their car collided with a police vehicle in Teesside had a combined 37 previous convictions, Cleveland Police have confirmed. Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae and Cole Worthy, both 17, and Jakub Matusiak, 23, had all admitted a string of offences over the past three years, while Michael Cahill, 23, was the only occupant with no prior record. The crash on Saturday also killed two officers, PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, when the pursued Volkswagen Passat was driven the wrong way along a dual carriageway near Middlesbrough and struck their marked armed response car.

The men's offending histories included assaults on police officers, shoplifting, vehicle theft, drug possession and driving without a licence or insurance, with Rae alone accounting for 19 separate offences. Police believe the group may have had links to organised crime, and have arrested 12 further people, including suspects held on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group, possessing firearms, and supplying Class A and B drugs. Investigators say the Passat was linked to a second vehicle, a Volvo XC60 with cloned plates, seen ramming properties in Middlesbrough shortly before the crash; a police federation representative also warned that young people "sensationalising" dangerous driving and baiting officers has become a growing problem.